Chapter Forty-Seven: Broken
Astrid kissed Hiccup again and again, repeating his name as she kissed his mouth, his bloody cheek, his eyes, his forehead. He was alive, he was breathing, they were together, holding each other as tight as they could. Dragons all flocked for the Mother's crown of spikes, abandoning the battle as she beckoned them, promising them safety.
"You're so beautiful," Hiccup sighed shakily, snuffing back his tears, holding Astrid's bruised and bloody body against him. "I thought I'd never see you again."
Astrid smiled and a laugh escaped her lips. Suddenly, her belly cramped again. She gasped and pulled away, pressing a palm against herself. Hiccup sat up quickly and turned over, worry striking his face. Astrid pressed her back into the boulder behind her, squirming as she folded over herself. Rose dropped her hands from her face as Hiccup put a hand over Astrid's.
"What – what's wrong?" he asked as Astrid gritted her teeth and groaned. She grabbed his wrist and placed his hand under hers, pushing his palm into the stiffness of her gut. She shuddered and choked as Rose rushed to her other side, pulling her arm over her shoulders.
"We've got to get her out of here," she breathed quickly.
"Are you hurt?" Hiccup asked Astrid. "Did – did you rupture something, or –"
"Valkyrie," Astrid wheezed. "She – she's trying to hold on – but – gah!"
That name again – Hiccup furrowed his brows and stared at Astrid as she tried to catch a breath. But when he felt Astrid's belly cramp up under his hand, and felt Valkyrie push his hand away with her leg, making Astrid cry out again, he blinked and caught his breath. "What was that?"
Rose pulled Astrid up, and Hiccup grabbed Astrid's other arm. She staggered on shaky legs, swaying back and forth.
"I'm – I'm okay," she tried to say.
"No, we've got to get you to one of the healers," Rose countered sternly. "They're just on the next island over, they can –"
"Why does she need a healer? Her bond –"
"Her bond won't help her," Rose interrupted, pulling Astrid towards Stingbreath.
"What, why?" Hiccup asked, stopping.
"Because I'm not hurt," Astrid breathed. She looked up at Hiccup as she doubled over, her eyes fixed on his as he stared at her, dumbfounded. "I'm – I'm in labour."
Hiccup blinked again, his lips parted and his eyes searching Astrid for further explanation. He looked to Astrid's belly again, shaking his head as he noticed how flat she was. Astrid grunted. "Our baby," she repeated.
"Our baby… didn't make it," Hiccup replied hoarsely, looking away as his thoughts drifted from himself. "You – you told me… you couldn't feel it anymore."
"I couldn't –" Astrid replied. She pulled her hand from Rose's shoulders and grabbed Hiccup's face again, turning his head back to her. "She hid – the bond hid her – to protect her, but –"
She gasped again, grabbing Hiccup's hand once more. "Can't you feel her?" she whimpered.
Hiccup's fingers dug into her belly, his eyes wide and dry, his breaths shallow and inconsistent.
"Did you do anything to rupture your water?" Rose asked quickly, motioning to Astrid's pants, which were still damp from when she landed in the puddle next to the Mother. Astrid swallowed as she twisted her mouth. Her eyes trailed over Hiccup's head, up to the smoke snaking its way into the air.
"Well," she said with a pained smirk, "I blew up the Underground."
"You're having a baby?"
Hiccup found himself and another tear spilled over.
"Our baby?"
"The same one you thought you lost," Rose answered. "We have to move – we can catch up after we get you two to safety. We don't know if –"
A scream shattered Hiccup's smile. Everyone cowered and looked above them as Thorvane circled above them like a vulture. Dagur laughed down at them, howling passionately, as the Skrill hovered above him.
"No – I – I killed him!" Astrid cried.
The sword was still embedded in Dagur's belly, but his flesh and organs fused around it. The hilt and tip of the blade protruded out of either side, the blood upon them not even dry. His shattered bones had already snapped back together and fused, all four of his aspects working to instantly heal his broken body.
The Changewing spat acid into the air, hitting Thorvane's leg as Rose pushed Astrid into the saddle. Thorvane shot a bolt of lightning at the Changewing, but Stingbreath jumped out of the way as Rose wrenched her reins over. They soared behind the Mother, protected and out of sight. The lightning hit the Mother and Toothless jumped off her, fanning his wings to keep himself clear of the attack. He landed as Thorvane growled and sneered, and Dagur stopped laughing.
Toothless bounded over to Hiccup and threw his head between his legs, throwing Hiccup into his saddle. Hiccup threw himself back into his rider mentality, shoving his severed leg into the prosthetic cup. He unbuckled the belts, which were too taught for him to slip his leg into, as Toothless sprinted off the Mother's back. They plummeted for the ground as Hiccup pulled the belts tight around his calf, reconnecting his foot to his leg. He cranked his foot back and Toothless fanned his wings out, shooting over the rocks as the Mother turned her head.
HHHHHIIIIIIIICCUUUUUUUUUP!
Thorvane's shriek curdled Hiccup's blood as he grabbed his head. Toothless groaned and banked to the side, tumbling dangerously close to one of the Mother's legs.
DEFILER!
Dagur slapped a hand over his ear as the Mother screamed in his mind, freeing Toothless and Hiccup from his onslaught. They pulled up, soaring over the Mother's chest and towards her face, as the dragons flocking towards her twisted and flew away, screaming at the sight of Dagur. Rose and Astrid didn't look back as they finally cleared the Mother's body, hoping to fly straight for the matrons, for safety.
Dagur found the Changewing's body and glared. Hiccup's wife. And Rose, the bitch who started the rebellions. Thorvane rushed after them, Dagur sneering as he pulled his dagger from his boot, the metal coated in potent Outcast Orchid. Thorvane dove and swerved, gaining on Stingbreath with impossible speed, his teeth gnashed and his eye bleeding and his skin dancing in lightning.
Rose looked over her shoulder for a split second.
"Stingbreath, move!" she screamed. Stingbreath curled her wings in and shot down, streamlined like an arrow as the Skrill stalked her, hunted her, firing lightning bolts into the trees below. Rose pulled back on the reins, holding onto Astrid as they ascended the sky, trying to shake Dagur off their trail. They spun and twirled, darting this way and that, but Dagur prevailed when Thorvane flew next to the Changewing, throwing his wing out, slashing the claw across Stingbreath's throat.
The Changewing's head was cut clean from the rest of her body, and the dragon's writhing frame fell from the sky. Rose and Astrid screamed as they plummeted for the earth below them, high above the Mother dragon.
"NO!" Hiccup screamed. Toothless struggled to catch up, firing a plasma shot into the side of Thorvane's head. It dazed the Skrill as Toothless frantically flew for Rose and Astrid, looking between them.
He caught Rose, her belly landing on Toothless' lower back, the air whooshing out of her as Hiccup pushed his foot down, trying to catch Astrid. She was too far away, she was going to hit the ground before he made it to her –
Astrid's body landed on another dragon, her side hitting a scaly back. Hiccup reared and soared over the Timberjack, absolutely astonished as Snowdrop smiled up him with a toothy grin.
"Hello, Hup!" Snowdrop cried.
"I told you to go home!" Hiccup yelled, as Rose stared down at her, jaw dropped.
Snowdrop glared at him, and she stuck out her tongue. Hiccup gawked and threw his hands up, flapping them over his head. "Snowdrop!"
"What?!" she pouted.
"Go home!"
"No, Breakfast and I are staying here!"
"You named your dragon Breakfast?! Why?!"
"Because I like breakfast, okay?!"
Rose shut her mouth, looking at Astrid's curled up body and Snowdrop again. She snorted a laugh when she realized Snowdrop had no idea that Breakfast had caught Astrid.
"Snow, look behind you!" she cried. Snowdrop huffed, but she looked over her shoulder.
The tiny squeal she made out of her mouth forced Hiccup to crack up, a laugh snorting through his nose as Snowdrop almost fell off Breakfast. She jumped and raised her arms in the air as Astrid crawled behind Snowdrop, straddling the beast beneath stiff legs and reaching over to grab the reins.
"Astrid!" Snowdrop squealed. "I found you! I knew I would find you, I knew it, I knew it!"
Astrid wrapped an arm around her little sister, burying her face in Snowdrop's fuzzy hair. "I knew you would," she sighed, crushing her sister.
Rose's head darted to the sky as Thorvane's shadow flew ahead. Hiccup and Rose turned violently, Toothless shrieking and roaring as he barely avoided Dagur's knife. Astrid, one arm around Snowdrop and the other clutching the reins, pulled the beast back and around, sailing out of the way with Breakfast's massive wings as Dagur and Thorvane shot down.
"We've got to get him off that thing," Hiccup growled. He looked down the Mother Dragon, who watched Dagur fly overhead. "I've got an idea!"
They dove and flew straight for Thorvane.
"What are you doing?!" Rose cried.
Hiccup cranked his foot, stopping Toothless. The Night Fury fanned out his long wings and roared, challenging Thorvane. The dragons locked eyes. Dagur and Hiccup glared at each other. Thorvane lurched forward, Dagur's knife clutched in Dagur's bloody fist as they shot towards them. Toothless twisted and dropped out of the sky. When Thorvane's huge body passed overhead, Hiccup urged Toothless to fly up and over the Skrill.
"Take the reins!" Hiccup yelled. He reached down and pulled back the gear on Toothless' saddle, forcing his tail-fin open for a moment. He unhooked himself and jumped up, jumping over Toothless' head into the empty air.
"Hiccup!" Rose screamed. She pulled herself forward, slamming her foot in Toothless' tail-shift as Hiccup flailed his arms about before landing on Thorvane's head. He felt his prosthetic leg – which was still turned to fly Toothless, and only consisted of a thin peg – crunch into the top of Thorvane's skull. Dagur screamed at him as Thorvane thrashed around. He swung his hand in the air, brandishing the blade, stabbing it down. Hiccup leaned back, throwing his arms and back out of the way as Dagur sank the blade into Thorvane's neck.
The poison burned his flesh, filling his veins with fire. Thorvane's remaining eye rolled to the back of his head. The lightning shuddered and froth filled his mouth. They were above the Mother now, her eyes looking up at them as Dagur leapt on top of Hiccup, throwing them off the beast as it fell to its death.
They fought in the air, twisting and turning as Dagur held onto Hiccup. Hiccup grabbed the fire-sword still embedded in Dagur's belly, but was not strong enough to pull it free. However, he could twist it. He cranked the blade over and Dagur screamed. Hiccup pushed himself free. Dagur fell below Hiccup, and Hiccup thrust his hands into the loops on the outside of his legs. He pulled them out and his flying suit burst forth, carrying him into the air.
The Mother Dragon, her eyes in slits, opened her gigantic mouth as Dagur screamed, falling between her jaws. The Mother closed them around his tiny body and growled, clenching her teeth and lowering her head.
Toothless flew under Hiccup and caught him, turning away from the Mother. Rose threw a fist in the air, crying out as the Mother bowed her head.
"SAVIOUR!" she screamed in pure joy. "SAVIOUR!"
Toothless barked and cooed, twirling in the air as Astrid smiled up at them, laughing in relief. Snowdrop clapped and Valka and Stoick all caught their breaths as Thorvane's body smashed in the ocean and sank beneath the waves.
"Dagur – I saw him – I saw him fall!" one the Berserkers cried. "He's – he's dead!"
"Do we keep fighting?" another Berserker asked. He looked over to the Outcasts ships as they carried the prisoners from the port, everyone staring up at the Mother Dragon in awe.
"No!" Alvin replied. "We sail out of the bay!"
"You're not our leader!" a Berserker retorted.
"I am, now!" Alvin spat. "Now turn your sails south!"
Stoick and Valka's dragons carried themselves across the water, flying for Hiccup and his Night Fury, crying out in jubilation. Dagur was dead. Dagur and his reign had ended. The people were almost free, only a few Berserker ships remained loyal to Dagur and that was nothing compared to –
The Dragon Mother jolted upright, screaming into the air.
NOOOOOOOOO!
She thrashed her head around, growling and snuffing and bellowing.
Toothless convulsed and contorted with the voice as the Mother thrashed her head about, knocking dragons out of the sky with her crown of massive spikes. Rose and Hiccup screamed as Toothless lost control, spinning wildly until they hit the ground. They flew off Toothless' back and into the rocks ahead, bouncing off them and rolling over and over, resting among the gravel limply.
Breakfast howled out, along with every other dragon around them, as they began to quiver and shake, falling out of the sky like flies in the cold. Valka and Stoick cried out as their dragons groaned and dove.
"Stoick!" she cried.
"Valka!"
Stoick leapt off Skullcrusher's back, grabbing Valka off Cloudjumper as he fell from the sky, and the two of them soared over the snow-covered field until the landed in the powder. Every dragon rider was bucked off their dragons as the dragons were forced to ground.
Astrid struggled to hold onto Breakfast's reins as he twisted and flapped his wings about uncontrollably. The tip of his wing slammed into one of the Mother's spikes, snapping it over. The two sisters flew from Breakfast's back. Snowdrop screamed and Astrid shot her hand out, grabbing Snowdrop's fur jacket with her fist. She hauled Snowdrop against her and wrapped herself around her as they flipped in the air, covering her little sister's head and neck with her arms. She slammed into the ground, her back crunching over a large, sharp rock. Her world went dark and her body relaxed like a ragdoll. The battle went eerily silent as the air became blank, dragons lying in the snow, floating in the water, all silent, all still.
The Mother reared her head and opened her mouth, crying out in anguish.
What have you done?! she screamed.
Her mouth was bloody, dripping red onto the snow below her. She drooled and foam lined her lips as her head slumped forward, swaying back and forth before her head hit the ground. A massive plume of snow and steam flew around her and the island rocked as the Mother's strength faded. She gasped like a fish on land for air, her jaws open as blood and foamed flowed forth, staining the snow pink and red.
The cove shattered. The ground rumbled beneath the tree, and Valkyrie threw her arms out to catch herself. The ground turned into glass, breaking into a thousand pieces and falling into an endless abyss of stars. Only the tree remained, and Valkyrie tried to hold on, tried to keep herself from falling. The walls all caved in, disappearing into dust. She fell back, trying to grab her woven rope. Her feet felt the branch and she flipped over, almost falling into the abyss. But the rope stopped her. It tightened around her waist, wrapped under her arm, and around her throat, holding her from the outside world as she struggled for air, the rope tightening around her neck.
Ruffnut gasped for air as she swam to the surface of the ocean. Barf and Belch lie on the shore, and Tuffnut broke the surface next to her. They both sputtered for air, kicking their legs, trying to breathe as their lungs contracted from the cold. Ruffnut searched the sky, trying to find Hiccup. When she couldn't, she swam to the shore. She dragged herself into the snow and shivered, but forced herself to her feet. She helped Tuffnut befor she started running towards the Mother.
"Where are you going?" Tuffnut asked.
"I just saw Hiccup go down!" Ruffnut cried. "Come on!"
Fishlegs stumbled from under a snowbank towards Meatlug, who didn't move. Snotlout had landed on a boat, his unconscious body dangling from the ropes that ensnared him against the sail.
Hiccup opened his eyes, pain shooting up his body. He coughed and pushed himself up and out of the snow. He grabbed his arm, staggered to his feet, and looked in horror upon the Mother's body. She kicked and gasped for air. There were no dragons in the sky above him. Rose sat up, holding her side, as Hiccup limped towards the Mother, who was too far away for him to run to.
Rose looked upon her in the distance in shock, questions running so fast through her head she couldn't keep track.
"Toothless?" Hiccup called, regaining his voice. "Toothless?!"
Rose looked around with him, the pair of them stumbling alone, injured and terrified. He found his Night Fury curled under under snow, his eyes closed and his mouth open.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried. He ran as fast as his hurt legs would let him. Rose followed him closely, worry filling her heart as she bounded after him.
Hiccup was about to reach down to him before the dragon roared, scrambling to his feet, panting and shaking his head. Hiccup jumped back and Toothless bared his teeth at him, hissing, his eyes in slits.
"…Bud?" Hiccup asked slowly. The Night Fury hissed again, swiping a paw at Hiccup. "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?! Toothless!"
Toothless hung his head, swaying back and forth. Rose and Hiccup stared at him, their faces cloudy with fear and confusion.
"Talk to me," Hiccup breathed. "Can – can you hear me?" Hiccup asked, raising a hand to Toothless as he tried to take a step forward. "It's me… Hiccup…"
Toothless' eyes remained in slits as he backed away. Hiccup stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Hiccup reached his hand out, about to touch Toothless' face. But the Night Fury, spooked and blank, reared on his hind legs and swatted Hiccup's arm open with his claw. Hiccup cried out, skittered back, holding his arm in disbelief as Rose grabbed him and pulled him away. He growled and turned around, running away, his tail flicking as he left.
"Toothless, wait!" Hiccup cried. He tried to run after him, but Rose held him firm. Hiccup watched his dragon go, trying to understand, trying to figure out what happened. He pressed his palm against his arm, trying to stanch the blood as Toothless disappeared. He squeezed his hand shut and looked at his wound – four deep gashes on back of his forearm, clean through the hide of his dragon suit. Rose came around him and put her hand under it, watching it as it did… nothing.
The skin didn't move around the wound. It bled freely. It didn't heal. Hiccup and Rose both looked at it, their hearts picking up in speed, as Rose remembered her own words:
"Heartbroken, she looked down and found her lover had turned into a dragon, only mortal and smaller than herself. Together, they created all the dragons we know of today, and each of them inherited the Mother's bond, all because of her sacrifice."
Rose spun to the Mother, who lied in the snow, struggling for air as foam coated her teeth.
"The Mother's fading – something's wrong."
She tripped forward, breaking into a full-blown sprint towards the Mother.
"Rose!"
Hiccup threw himself after her, looking towards Toothless' footprints in the snow before running after her. He caught up to her.
"Why are we running?" Hiccup panted. "What's wrong with Toothless?"
"Our bonds –" Rose grunted, ducking under the Mother's wing, which lied propped against the ruins of the mountain. "Our bonds are broken!"
"What?!"
"Whatever happened to the Mother, it's shattered the bonds – everything from Toothless' connection to you to his personality, his magic, everything is blank!"
"Wait, so Toothless –"
Rose stopped and threw her hands up, facing Hiccup frantically. "He doesn't remember you – he doesn't understand anything! Can you hear any of the dragons, any whisper?! No! Because there's nothing there anymore, just emptiness, because the Mother's strength, her own magic, is waning!"
"How do you know all this?" Hiccup asked quickly. "Maybe Toothless was stunned, maybe –"
"It's all in the stories, Hiccup. Look at your arm! It's not healing! And it's not just us, it's every dragon in existence. Their minds, their will, their personalities are all in jeopardy!"
Snowdrop wailed and screamed, shaking Astrid's limp body in the snow, only a few feet from the Mother's panting mouth. "Astrid!" she shrieked. "Get up! Get up!"
Dragons all around her began to stir, their breaths ragged and their eyes darting this way and that. A blue Zippleback lifted his head off the ground and turned to Snowdrop as her cries tore through him. He snarled and fanned out his wings, his twin heads eyeing Snowdrop's little body with bloodlust.
Snowdrop stared at it in terror. She knew the dragon wasn't friendly anymore, and she shook Astrid again.
"Astrid!" she howled. "C'mon, get up!"
The Zippleback charged, mindlessly craving Snowdrop's flesh. He stormed towards her and she screamed again, crawling back on her behind, holding her hand up to try to stop it before it tore her apart.
Valka and Stoick leapt onto the beast, grabbing a head each. The dragon roared as Stoick twisted his head around painfully while Valka had a dagger buried in the other's jaw. One of the heads bit Stoick's arm and the other threw Valka into the ground. The dragon flew away, whimpering, ascending to the dragons that swarmed above.
Stoick rushed over to Snowdrop, barely paying mind to his bloody mess of an arm, scooping her up and cradling her to his chest. She sobbed and blubbered, but Stoick hushed her as Valka dropped next to Astrid. She lifted Astrid's head and gave her a shake.
"Astrid? Astrid!"
She rested her head over Astrid's chest, and heard a faint heartbeat patter beneath her. She ran her hands down Astrid's body, checking her sides, her hips –
When Valka's fingers hovered over Astrid's pelvis, the feeling of jagged, broken bones struck her heart with an arrow of ice. Astrid moaned gently, her eyes slowly drifting open, her mouth trying to form words. Valka quickly returned to Astrid's face.
"Can you hear me?" Valka asked quickly. A tiny smudge of red teased Valka's eyes as it peeked from the corner of Astrid's mouth. Astrid blinked slowly, fluttering and struggling for a pathetic breath.
"M-My legs," Astrid coughed weakly.
Valka pressed her hand against Astrid hips. "Can – can you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Astrid slurred. Everything from the waist-down was numb. Valka looked down, and saw a sharp rock at her knees – a wedge made of stone peeking out from the packed snow – the object that shattered Astrid's spine. She looked up to Stoick, fear all over her face.
"Help me move her, under the wing."
Stoick put Snowdrop down and picked up Astrid's body, holding her as gently as they could as they carefully carried her under the protection of the wing. They rested her on the ground overtop of Stoick's cape and propped her head up on another rock. Valka held her hand and brushed Astrid's hair away from her face as Astrid coughed again, blood specks vibrant on her pale lips.
"Mum!"
Valka turned and saw Rose and Hiccup working their way towards them, ducking under the crystals of the Mother's wing. They could hardly breath and both of them doubled over, sucking in deep gulps of air. Hiccup saw Astrid lying on the fur and he dropped next to her.
"What happened?" he asked quickly, cupping Astrid's face.
"She broke her back when she landed," Valka replied, licking her lips. "Her bond should be healing it, she –" Valka stopped talking when Hiccup snapped his head up to face her, and Rose made a small sound in her throat. "What… what's the matter?"
Hiccup turned away, his face burning, unable to breathe as he desperately looked upon Astrid's faint face. Rose clenched her jaw and looked down.
"We… lost our bonds…" she murmured.
Valka and Stoick and Snowdrop only stared at Rose, unblinking, processing her words. Rose looked up tearfully.
"Astrid's… not going to be able to heal, anymore…"